*Wow, it has been a long time. Kinda got a bit bogged down with school work running up to GCSEs last year, but can't believe it's been so long! Well, after a few days of writing, here's the longest chapter yet! Not much in the way of 'active' romance in this one, but I think it's sweet :) Setting up for what is to come (though I've honestly got no idea where this story will end up). As usual, enjoy! And drop me a comment or PM, let me know what you like, what I can do better... :D x *

Again, Kyle had failed to sleep, but this time it was the anger that filled every inch of his body that had made it so. He had stopped crying after a while, but that made everything seem even worse, as he lay there in silence, staring up at the cold bare ceiling left only with his thoughts. He had never hated his mom more, though she had done far worse, but the fact that life with Kenny seemed a possibility made it seem much more personal than before. As if she was deliberately, subconsciously, trying to stop them from being together. Sneaking out was no longer an option, for despite his tendencies to do it in the past, his mother would now expecting him to and surely the next punishment would be even worse, especially if she found out what he was sneaking out to do. And talking to her was laughable - doing anything with another boy was a sin in her eyes and nothing would change that. He couldn't think of any way to sort it out.

The morning came and with it Kyle slowly moved from the bed, getting ready for school but not really there, for his head was still full of anger and pain, leaving room for nothing else. Three weeks was a lifetime. And in a lifetime - anything could happen.

Luckily, Stan's parents had learnt long ago that Stan's room was his own private space. They didn't dare enter and a vague shout of 'breakfast's ready' was the only sign that they were even at home. Stan had remained in silence and not spoke a word for many hours when he heard his mom call and it took a moment for him to register the time. He too had spent the night wide awake, questioning his sanity, life and everything else that came before. What was the meaning of it all? Why was life so fragile? Was heaven actually a better place? What was it like? He hadn't left the bed, though he lay there naked, with the bedcovers creating a tomb for the only girl that he had ever loved. It was cold, probably the coldest night of the year so far, but Stan didn't even notice. She would not be disturbed there, she'd snuck in without anyone noticing the night before, but that was only a temporary solution to the problem. What about when people discovered she was gone? What about when they started asking questions? It was only a matter of time and it wouldn't take a genius to guess who she had been with. Every way his thoughts turned, they hit a brick wall. Escape was impossible.

Kenny was a little surprised to find Kyle gone when he awoke, but thought nothing off it. He had to go home sometime; he knew what Kyle's mom was like. At least Kyle's parents actually cared when he was home, rather than his own who probably wouldn't fucking notice if he died in a ditch somewhere. They'd probably even be pleased that there was one less mouth to feed. But even these thoughts couldn't make Kenny unhappy, for it had been a night of triumph, the night he had finally done it and got there with the one he really loved. Yeah, he'd fucked boys (and girls) before – though Kyle didn't need to know that - but those times there had been no meaning. It was just a way to pass the time. Just another way to forget about shit. But with Kyle, even just him being there made all the other things disappear, made every other experience seem like nothing, made him forget about the pain. This was real. Life was worth living with Kyle around and Kenny knew that they could do it. No matter what happened, they would be together...

The school was pretty much deserted at 7am, though the gates were already open, with the occasional teacher mulling about, panicking about having to spend another day with the little shits. Kyle preferred it this way - it allowed him to explore the areas that no one else saw, but mainly it was just nice to be out of the house. His mother had even insisted on dropping him at the school gates, to ensure he wasn't wandering off anywhere and explained that he "had to be back there at four, or there'd be some explaining to do".

After offering her some choice words under his breath, Kyle stormed off to find an empty classroom. The silence there was different than at home - peaceful but not foreboding, cooler and lighter. He sat on a desk, with his feet pulled in close to him and started texting Kenny, trying to explain what had happened. Hopefully he would understand, though Kyle feared he would think it was another excuse. He would think Kyle was scared of going further, that he didn't want it. Kyle texted frantically, his fingers a blur:

"I can't cope, I can't believe what she did..."

"It's too much, she can't pull us apart like this..."

"I won't let her stop us, she can't do it to me..."

"I need you Kenny, please Kenny..."

"Please help me Kenny…"

"Please Kenny!"

"KENNY I LOVE YOU!"

THUD!

Kyle's eyes suddenly darted upwards from his phone, finger poised over the send button, as the door slammed open. Stan stood there, his fists hanging loosely by his sides, bleeding from where he had punched the door. His leather jacket hung loosely from his limp frame and his face looked like Kyle felt - angry, sad, destroyed. As he spotted Kyle, Stan seemed to recoil, a look of confusion flashing across his face, as he saw his once best friend, whose emotions clearly mirrored his own. They both stayed still for a moment, staring at each other, feeling the emotion radiating. Then Stan spoke:

"I'm sorry..."

"No, don't be, " murmured Kyle, breaking eye contact and staring at Stan's feet, where his shoelaces laid untied.

"I'll just..." Stan started, then he was gone, shuffling quickly along the corridor, out of earshot.

Kyle was too tired to even question Stan's sorrows, yet the thought did intrigue him in the back of his mind. If anything, their brief encounter had calmed him down, made Kyle realise that he needed to stand up and sort his life out, rather than wallow in his sorrow. He slipped his phone back into his pocket and stood up, determined that it was all going to be okay...

The power had gone out again during the night, so Kenny sat in darkness on the cold damp sofa munching on a bread bun. He had decided that today wasn't a day to go to school – he didn't have any lessons with Kyle and thought the principle would be unlikely to confront him again, since his outburst. Finishing his food, Kenny threw his dead phone down on the sofa and ventured outside.

There was only a single track running away from the house, where his parents had left for the shops earlier on. The fresh snow made everything seem clean, with the trees glistening with ice and any evidence of the broken bottles that littered the garden now obscured. Zipping up his Parka, Kenny wandered slowly across the train tracks and into town. It was almost silent, for not many went out to face the cold and with all the kids in school, the streets were deserted.

With his hood up, Kenny was deaf to the world and it took him a while to realise that someone was shouting for him. Looking around, he spotted a plump child staring out from his bedroom window, clasping a chocolate bar in one hand. Cartman waved quickly and smiled at him. Kenny grinned.

"Long time no see, fat arse"

"I was thinking the same, fuckboy"

They both laughed. It had been a long time since they had spoken, but Kenny never knew why. It wasn't as if they had got into an argument or anything, they'd just seen less of each other. And Kenny still got on with Cartman – even if no-one else did. Because he knew, that despite the insults, hate and all the other shit that he did, there was still a nice kid in there somewhere. And Cartman respected him. They insulted each other equally and better still, they just laughed it off.

"So, why you not in school," yawned Cartman, "Thought you actually cared about a bullshit education?"

"Ah, fuck the system; I do what I want… Nah, I was bored dude, needed some time out. You up for a walk?"

"Hell yeah!"

Cartman practically skipped over to the wardrobe to get his jacket. The thought of even just walking with Kenny filled him with joy, as if they might actually be friends again. It had been a long, long time since Cartman had managed to talk to someone without pissing them off so much that they wanted to get away as soon as possible. He didn't mean it either, anymore… Since 4th grade they'd left him one by one and recently he'd gotten to realise why. He knew his mom resented him, he could see it behind the eyes, beneath the ever-supporting tone; he could tell she was fed up, that she wished he'd never been born. And now he knew, he had done that. He had made them hate him.

Often he wondered why he and Kenny had been friends. They were so different, basically opposites of each other. The poor kid who pretended to be good, but was really the most rebellious kid in the playground and he, the one who always got what he wanted and acted like he was the tough one, though inside he was weak and insecure. But they had supported each other, worked together to create a whole being, that could actually function properly. They had been friends through the hardest of times. And Cartman was determined to have his friend back…

Once he stepped outside, it was just like the old days. Kenny had never changed, the same offbeat funny child that had spent the days lobbing snowballs off passing cars. In contrast, Kenny could clearly see Cartman was different. He still said the same things, acted the same way, but there was no malice behind his words, no underlying nastiness that had always previously been present, even when he seemed to be acting nice. They walked towards Stark's Pond, Kenny speaking out more than he had in a while (except to Kyle), while Cartman boasted of his plan to stop school all together and just leave. The same childish dreams he'd always had, but now they seemed more realistic, as if he might actually do it. Kenny could see where he was coming from when he said there was nothing left for him here – it wasn't as if Cartman had any real friends. Kenny could see it in his face, even just talking to someone meant the world to him. That fat fuck really had changed.

Stan couldn't concentrate. The words on the page in front of him were like a foreign language and everything else seemed utterly pointless. His knuckles still bled from punching in all of the doors in the English corridor, yet still he was numb to the pain, numb to everything, except the constant circling thoughts that plagued him. His eyes kept being drawn to the empty seat in front of him, where Wendy should have sat. No one seemed to notice the fact that she wasn't there. They just sat there like nothing was wrong, like everything was like it always was.

Kyle couldn't take the silence anymore and stood up. He let his pen and paper flutter to the floor as he turned and walked out. The teacher made no effort to stop him, just kept on writing on the board, even as Stan grabbed his bag and followed Kyle out of the door.